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CC feels strong after offseason elbow cleanup

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By Bryan Hoch

TAMPA, Fla. -- Yankees ace CC Sabathia said that he can already feel the difference in his left elbow after having offseason arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur.

"It feels pretty good," Sabathia said. "I've been playing catch; I've been throwing. I played catch today and felt great. I talked to [pitching coach] Larry [Rothschild], and I think I'm going to throw a bullpen [session] on Thursday."

Sabathia said that he will stick to fastballs and changeups for his first mound session. He expects no restrictions this spring and should be close to his usual timetable to prepare for an Opening Day start.

"I definitely feel a relief, just having that range of motion back and not having that ache at the end of my extension," Sabathia said. "I felt that right away, so hopefully, I can just continue to get better and continue to feel less.

"After last year, going through what I went through pretty much the whole second half, playing catch so far, it feels a lot better."

Sabathia said that he weighed in at 290 pounds on Tuesday, about 10 pounds lighter than he was when the Yankees finished the 2012 season.

"No Cap'n Crunch," Sabathia said, with a laugh. "Same thing I did last offseason; just worked out and watched the diet. I worked out every day and just made sure I watched what I ate.

"I feel pretty good. This is [the weight] I came into camp last year and I pitched at last year, and I felt real good. This is the ideal weight."